Thai mother reunites with missing son after 5-year search

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Photo via ThaiRath

 

By Petch Petpailin

 

A Thai mother was reunited with her son yesterday, January 23, after he had been missing for five years, thanks to the efforts of the non-profit organisation, the Mirror Foundation.

 

The Mirror Foundation released a missing person poster of the 13 year old Thai boy, Turnpong “Aut” Dokbuaban, on December 24, 2019. He disappeared from Sub Jarun Villa in Soi Jaransanitwong 35, in the Taling Chan district of Bangkok, on November 16 of that year.

 

Aut suffers from developmental delays and has a black birthmark on his right earlobe and a skin tag on his left ear. He reportedly left home to buy snacks and never returned.

 

Aut’s mother, 38 year old Nareerat Maneedanjark, turned to social media platforms to search for her son. She followed up on every lead suggesting someone might be her missing son, but all attempts proved unsuccessful, often leading her to people who only resembled him.

 

Despite the setbacks, Nareerat never gave up. She sought assistance from the Mirror Foundation, whose members added her son’s case to their genetic material database in case foul play had occurred. However, her DNA did not match with any deceased in the database.

 

Nareerat held onto hope that her son was still alive and continued her search. This hope was rekindled when someone discovered a video of a man resembling Aut. The man in the video was working at a dog farm in the northern province of Nakhon Sawan and was seen training a dog.

 

 

The Mirror Foundation facilitated communication between the farm owner and Nareerat, eventually confirming that the man in the video was indeed Aut. After five years of relentless searching, Nareerat and her son were finally reunited.

 

According to ThaiRath, Aut had lived as a homeless person for a time and had become involved with drugs. He worked various jobs, such as collecting recyclables and working in construction, before starting his job at the dog farm two years ago.

 

Nareerat, the farm owner, and the Mirror Foundation are set to discuss Aut’s next steps, including whether he will return to his studies or continue working.

 

Their miraculous reunion serves as an inspiration to families with missing loved ones, encouraging them to remain hopeful.

 

The foundation also advised the public to seek help from the police or organisations like theirs promptly when a family member goes missing, as fresh information and witnesses are crucial to a successful search operation.

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2025-01-24